Ketones, polycyclic preparation

An interesting family of polycyclic pyrroles was described in 2005 using again the synthetic sequence of a Stetter reaction for the preparation of the starting 1,4 diketones followed by a microwave-assisted Paal-Knorr condensation [35]. For example, cyclopentenone 23 (obtained in a Pauson-Khand cyclization) reacted imder Stetter reaction conditions to give the amino ketone 25 (Scheme 8). The microwave-assisted Paal-Knorr cyclization of 25 with different amines gave a small collection of tricychc pyrrole 2-carbox-amides. 

The procedure described here is a modification of one involving the thermal fragmentation of 1-adamantyl hypoiodite and cycliza-tion of the resulting iodo ketone/ By means of this procedure, 4-protoadamantanone is obtained from 1-adamantanol with consistent yields in the range of 71 to 82% and a purity greater than 98%. This method is also applicable to the preparation of other polycyclic ketones from the related bridgehead alcohols with a-bridges of zero, one, or two carbon atoms (see Table I). 

Energetically rich polynitro compounds have been prepared from polycyclic ketones by the conversion of oximes to nitro compounds, as shown in Table 2.6. 

This process presents a typical procedure applicable to preparation of cyanohydrins from ketones and aldehydes of low reactivity. l-Cyano-6-methoxy-3,4-dihydronaphthalene is useful as an intermediate for synthesis of polycyclic compounds. 

Friedel-Crafts Acylation, The Friedel-Crafts acylation procedure is the most important method for preparing aromatic ketones and their derivatives. Acetyl chloride (acetic anhydride) reacts with benzene in the presence of aluminum chloride or acid catalysts to produce acetophenone [98-86-2], CgHgO (1-phenylethanone). Benzene can also be condensed with dicarboxylic acid anhydrides to yield benzoyl derivatives of carboxylic acids. These benzoyl derivatives are often used for constructing polycyclic molecules (Haworth reaction). For example, benzene reacts with succinic anhydride in the presence of aluminum chloride to produce p-benzoylpropionic acid [2051-95-8] which is converted into a-tetralone [529-34-0] (30). 

The ring closure of orf/io-substituted phenols is a route to production of benzo[6]furans on an industrial scale. The natural benzo[6 ]furan derivatives karanjin, pongapin, khellin and visnagin have been prepared via the respective o-hydroxyarylacetaldehydes, whilst an extension to the cyclization of o-hydroxybenzyl alkyl ketones has made it possible to synthesize polycyclic benzo[6]furans under the influence of demethylating and dehydrating media. Pterocarpans have been synthesized from suitable isoflavones by this route. 

Alkyl- or aryl-dibenzothiophenes are conveniently prepared from the 2-arylthio-cyclohexanones, which are readily cyclized and dehydrogenated to yield the respective 1-, 2-, 3- or 4-substituted dibenzothiophenes (382 equation 9 Section 3.15.2.3.2). More complex polycyclic systems are available, using suitable aryenethiols, such as naph-thalenethiols, and 2-bromo-l-tetralone to synthesize the appropriate 2-arylthio ketones. Diaryl sulfides can be converted to dibenzothiophene derivatives in satisfactory yields by photolysis in the presence of iodine (equation 10) (75S532). Several alkyldibenzothiophenes with substituents in the 2- and/or 3-positions were prepared in satisfactory yield by the condensation of dichloromethyl methyl ether with substituted allylbenzo[6]thiophenes (equation 11) (74JCS(P1)1744). 

Dehydrogenation. The oldest and still important synthetic use of quinones is in the removal of hydrogen, especially for aromatizahon. This method has often been applied to the preparation of polycyclic aromatic compounds. Quinones are used extensively in the dehydrogenation of steroidal ketones. Such reactions are marked by high yield and selectivity. Generally, the results when using nonsteroidal ketones are disappointing. 

This reaction also gave the opportunity to open an access to various polycyclic derivatives, as illustrated by the transformation of the mixture of diaster eomers 133 into tricyclic derivative 134 as a single diastereomer, thanks to a completely stereoconvergent process. An interesting entry into carene 136 and carone derivatives 137 has also been disclosed by Fiirstner [88]. 1,5-Enynes have proven to be versatile precursors for the preparation of perfumery agents such as sabina ketone (Scheme 45). 

Ruzziconi and coworkers used the ceric ammonium nitrate promoted C—C forming reaction to prepare polycyclic homo- and heteroaromatics starting from aryl-substituted silyl enolates and, more recently, the same strategy has been applied to the preparation of fluorinated naphthaldehydes and naphthyl ketones . 

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